Time zone indicator system



Dec. 15, 1953 M. GLENN TIME ZONE INDICATOR SYSTEM 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 2, 1953 All.

INVENTOR Marlow 611912K ATTORNEY Dec. l5, 1953 M. GLENN TIME zoNE INDICATOR SYSTEM Sheets-Sheet 2 mlmlm Filed AprilI 2, 1955 GIN.

lNvENTOR Marle-DW 614212K/ Dec. 15, 1953 M, GLENN 2,662,368

TIME ZONE INDICATOR SYSTEM Filed April 2, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 15, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENTk OFFICE TIME ZONEV INDICATOR. SYSTEM Marlow Glenn, SanivFranSco, Calif.

Application April 2,11953, Serial No. 346,547`

(Granted linden Title 35, U. S. Code (1952); sec. 266i 8 Claims.

The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmentalV purposes Without the payment to me of anyA royalty thereon.

It is well known that in the United States, Canada, and other nations having large land areas, the country is divided by law into several time zones each observing a different standard time. Thus the United States isV divided: into four zones, viz., eastern standard time, central standard time, mountain standard time` and Pacilic standard time. The boundariesof these zonesl are very irregular, butusually it is a simple matter to determine from published maps: the places or points where a road or railway leaves one time zone andv enters another. While this is true, few travelers in public conveyances have access to or study time zone maps and: many, to judge from their questions, do not even. read or understand train schedules (which always indicate Where the time changes). The confusion which constantly arises as to the time at the place where a travelerhappens tobe (a confusion which is vastly augmented during periods when daylight saving goes into effect) may be eliminated by employment of the system of the present invention in connection with trains, buses, and other public conveyances. If desired, the system may even be extended to. private cars and trucks, as the time-indicating and signalresponsive equipment of the invention, will not occupy much space or require much labor or skill in making an installation.

Objects are to provide a'reliable. simple, auto matic system of the character indicated. Other objects will be apparentl from thevt above remarks and from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown in. the4 ae# companying drawings forming a part of this specification. Y

In said drawings, which illustrate the system and apparatus somewhat diagramrnatically.`

Fig. 1 is a sketch showing in plan. a, road traversing parts of two time Zones, with meansv for broadcasting signals of diierent irequencires in the respective zones, a few vehicles being shown on the road;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the dial of the time indicator;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the rear Qf the time indicator;

disk 20 rotates once in twelve hours.

set installedr above or adjacent to the windshield;

Fig. 6 is a wiring diagram of the receiving set;

Fig, 7 is a top plan view of a magneticpendulum switch, andv wiring connections;

Fig. Sis a vertical section through the switch of Fig. 7i;

Fig. 9 is a section on line 9--9 of Fig. 8:

Fig. l0 is an exploded view of the magnetic pendulum switch; and

Eig. 1 1 is a detailin elevation showing an alternative construction of the pendulum switch holding or latching means.

Referring particularly to the drawings and rst to Fig. 5,4 the `bus l5 (which represents any 'l public conveyance or private car)v is shown with a time-indicating mechanism I6 installed adjacent the forward end of the bus, said. mechanism including an annular dial l1 (Figs. 2 and 4f) which has hour indicia I marked thereon. A rotating arbor itV carries minute hand I9, which extendsy over` the annular dial. A rotating hour disk 20 is supported substantially flush with the annular dial I1 and is adapted to rotate in timed relation with the minute hand I9, that is, hour l Any suitable mechanical, electrical or electro-mechanical time keeping mechanism (not shown) mayr be used todrive the minute handv and hour disk. Cut or otherwise formed in the rotating hour disk 20- are four hour indicia, preferably openings 2I, 22, 23, 24 each having an outline simulating the outer end of a clocks hour hand, each opening being adapted to be illuminated from behind when a small electric lamp bulb 25, 26, 21, 28 respectively (orother source of light) is en ergized. Bulbs 2-5-28 are carried in recesses formed in the insulating hour disk 20. In Fig. 2 the shading of openings 2| 23 and 24 is intended to indicate the absence of illumination, while the unshaded opening 22 is intended to indicate illumination from bulb 26. Each hour indicium opening and its corresponding bulb are shielded by the body of hour disk zo so that when any one opening is illuminated by the correspending light bulb the other three openings are dark. In lieu of openings, transparent panes or lenses may be fixed in the openings in the hour disk, A light (not shown) or luminous materials may be employed to make the minute hand i9 also visible, Preierebly as im.' as the rear 6nd 9.1' 15139, buSfsO that all passengers may read the Fig. l .is an enlarged cross. section On. line 4.-4

indicated time '17o energize separately the several bulbs 25, 26, 21.. @8 Qroiher individual sources of lieiht'fr the hour indicia, a Set of four conductor rings J29, 3h0.

3l, 32 (Figs. 3 and e) are provided, these conductor rings constituting an armature, and preferably being set concentrically in the non-conducting hour disk 28. Brushes 33, 34, 35, 36 contact said conductor rings to conduct electricity through said rings to the bulbs 25, 26, 21, 28, respectively. See also Figl 6. Wires 31 are individually connected to the brushes and lead to a control mechanism to be described, thence to a source of electricity, for example, the electrical' lighting system of the bus. The negative contacts (not shown) of bulbs 25, 26, 21 and 28 are connected by wires with a conducting collar 38 which is tightly fitted on to a hollow shaft 39 which in turn is secured by any preferred means to the hour dial to drive the same. Hollow shaft 39 surrounds but has no contact with arbor I9 and both are driven by the clock mechanism previously mentioned. A brush 42 makes contact with collar 38 and a ground wire 43 connects brush 42 with the chassis of the bus or other ccnveyance.

At convenient points near a highway 45 (Fig. -l) are two antennae 46, 41 located on either side of the boundary B of two time zones and representing any low power broadcasting means for broadcasting waves of two diiferent frequencies. The purpose of the broadcasting means 46, 41 is to actuate the parts of the system which effect a change in the circuits of lamp bulbs 25, 26, 21 and 28 so that the hour "hand will be visually changed by one hour, appearing to jump forward if the vehicle has entered an eastward zone, and appearing to jump backward if a westward zone has been entered. The power of each broadcasting means 46, 41 is so weak that neither can affect the pulse-responsive mechanism provided on a vehicle employing my system after such vehicle has proceeded a short distance within the neighboring zone. It is intended that antennae broadcasting signals on the same frequency will be located throughout each time zone near its boundaries, but only adjacent principal highways and railroad tracks designated for passenger traffic, and that each of the four time zones of this country will have a different frequency assigned to it.

Referring to Figs. '7, 8, 9 and 10, I show therein a pendulum switch which is illustrative of several devices that may be used to control the circuits of bulbs 25, 26, 21 and 28 responsive to signals sent out as stated above. Each vehicle employing my system will carry one of these devices, which need not be located near the clock previously described but may be placed at any point where it is most readily protected from road shocks and weather damage. Each pendulum switch is preferably inclosed in a protective housing, not

shown, and includes pendulum member suspended at its upper end on the end of an inverted Lshaped bracket 5I which is xed to any convenient support and stands in a vertical plane. Pendulum member 59 is permitted to swing in any vertical plane because of its suspension, which in effect is a universal joint. is of insulating material and has a bore 52 at its extremity in which a sleeve 53 is fixed. Sleeve 53 provides a bearing for a shaft 54 having screw threads 55 on one end and a nut 56 by which the shaft is held on the bracket. shoulder 51 on shaft 54 bears against the adjacent end of a sleeve 53 when nut 56 is tightened. .A clevis 5S on shaft 54 receives looselythe upper end of a rod 59 and a pivot pin. 60 is passed Bracket 5 i s swing freely on pivot 60 in a vertical plane which passes through shaft 54, and said rod may also swing freely about the axis of shaft 54 because shaft turns freely in sleeve 53.

Secured to the lower end of rod 59 is a contact plate 6I which is preferably circular and has points or projections 62, 63, 64, extending outwardly from the periphery thereof. Spring contacts 66, 61, 68, 69 are secured on a lxed ring An annular through aligned bores 6|', 62 respectively in rod 59 and in the arms of the olevis. Rod 59 may .membein insulating member 90 is the same as the corre- 1D with insulation 1I between each spring contact and the fixed ring. Wires 12, 13, 14, 15 connect the spring contacts with the time indicator as will be described. Contact plate 6| is held on rod 59 by a nut 16 screwed upon the lower end of said rod. The spring contacts and the contact plate are so constructed, proportioned and arranged that when the pendulum formed by rod 59 and the parts secured thereto is plumb, projections 62--65 are not in contact with any one of the spring contacts. A small swing of said pendulum in any one of four directions, as deter- :ruined by an energized electromagnet, will, however, Ibring one of the projections 62-65 into contact with a spring contact, thus closing a circuit which will energize one of the lamp bulbs To cause the pendulum to swing, a set of four eiectromagnets 11, 18, 19, are provided, with the active poles 8I-84 of said electro-magnets arranged 90 apart in a group which surrounds the pendulum near its lower end. Mounted on rod 59 but insulated therefrom is a cruciform magnetic metal mass which is adapted to be attracted by and make contact with whichever electromagnetic pole is energized. As shown in 9, whenever the magnetic member 85 is in Contact with such a pole, contact plate 6l is in electrical contact with one of the spring contacts 66-69. To prevent contact of magnetic member 85 simultaneously with two poles, insulating guides 86-89 are xed to the electromagnets respectively below the poles; each insulating guide has a re-entrant portion, as shown in Figs. '7 and 10, while the cruciform magnetic member 95 has a pronged insulating member 90 which ts over rod 59 and has its prongs 9| lling the areas between the arms of the cruciform magnetic The length or height of the pronged spending dimension of the cruciform magnetic member 85 so that the upper ends of both member 95 and the insulation 90 are flush with each other. An insulating washer 92 fits over rod 59 and is held against the assembly of magnetic member 85 and its insulation 99 by means of a cotter pin 93 passed through a bore in rod 59. The lower end of magnetic member 85 is seated on the bottom of insulation 98, as shown in Fig. and below insulation is another cruciform magnetic member 94 which is of the same width as magnetic member 85 but is not so high. An insulating member 95, which is pronged like insulating member 96 and which nts around and under the cruciform magnetic member 94, is slipped on rod 59 and is held thereon by contact plate 6l.- Thus contact plate 6I is itselfA insulated from every element of the pendulum Vexcept rodl59, and rod 59, which is a conductor, may, if desired, be electrically connected to a power source. such as battery (not shown) so that energy from said battery will be delivered to one of thelamps to light it whenever one of the electromagnets contacts the cruciform magnetic member 85. However, in the drawings I have shown a slightly different arrangement as will be described. I

The function of cruciform magnetic member 94 is to contact a holding magnet which is one of four like permanent magnets 98, 99, H10, ISI (Fig. 9) fixed for convenience. to an electromagnet (TI-80) by insulation guides 86-88 and hence insulated therefrom. Permanent magnets 98-IOI are of steel, Alnico or similar highly efficient magnetic alloy, and they act to hold the pendulum member in circuit-closing position after it has once been swung into such posi'- tion by one of the energized electromagnets 'VI-8i).` However, the holding magnets are of insufficient strength to resist the magnetic pull of any of the energized electromagnets I'Ifll on the magnetic mass 85. Instead of permanent magnets for pendulum-holding means, a set of spring latches IE5 may be used, as shown in Fig. 11, each spring latch being fixed to stationary ring 'III with its inner end free to ex and thus latchingly engage a groove It, which is one of four grooves formed in the lower side of contact plate SI. The holding power of spring latches IDS must of course be such as to-yield to release the pendulum when one of the electromagnets is energized. In the arrangement of Fig. 1l, for convenience the spring latches I05 perform the dual function of latching the pendulum and conducting electrical current; hence insulation |01 is placed between each latch |05 and stationary ring 10,

As shown in Fig. 6, the receiving set box or casing IIB, which is located anywhere on the bus, has an antenna III which may be built into the roof structure of the bus or may be. attached as a whip antenna to the bus body, or may have any other desirable form. Antenna III has connections with four receiving means I I2, I I3, I I4 and I I5, each of which is iixedly tuned to a dilferent signal-broadcasting means (only two being shown at 46, 41, Fig. l). When any one of the receiving means II2--I I5 is receiving a signal, it will cause a contact to close. In Fig. 7 contact IIB is closed, and contacts IIB, II'I and IIS are open as the corresponding receiving means II2, II3 and II5 are receiving no signals or else the signals received are too weak to be effective. Once a contact IIB-IIS is closed, a circuit will be closed including battery I2@ (Figs. 6 and 7) and the corresponding electromagnet will be energized to actuate the lpendulum switch as already eX- plained. Battery |20 furnishes the energy necessary for lighting the hour hand light (25, 2B, 21 or 28) as well as for energizing the electromagnets.

It will be appreciated that many changes may be made in the described mechanism. Thus instead of four hour indicia, a greater number than four or as few as two may be employed. Instead of illuminated openings for the hour indicia, other hour-hand-simulating members may be employed under the control of the described circuits so as to appear and disappear automatically; for example, automatically movable shutters each of which is both white and black may show their white areas to match the white hour disk 20 and hence at a little distance be indistinguishable therefrom, with one of the shutters actuated by signals as described herein to expose its black area and give the appearance of a black hour hand, contrasting with the white face of disk 2e. The hour disk could be a stationary dial having twelve hour indicia and a selected hour indicium (one of the twelve) may be made visible or more prominent than, the others. as controlled by the described mechanism and system. Other modifications and variations within the scope of the appended claims will occur tov those skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

l. In combination, Ytwo sources of wave energy broadcasting on different frequencies, said sources of wave energy being of very low power and being located in two adjacent time zones but close to an artery of commerce traversing said time zones and close to the boundary between said adjacent time zones; a vehicle having a receiving set and time-indicating means, said timeindicating means comprising an hour indicator, a min ut-e indicator and a source of power coupled with said indica-tors to drive both indicators in timed relation to tell time; said hour indicator having at least two hour indicia; said receiving set hav.- ing means which are' sensitive to the signals broadcast from asingle one of said sources of wave energy, said receiving set including means acting automatically responsive to a change in condition of said signalesensitive means to change the hour reading of the hour indicator without affecting the minute indicator, so that said hour indicator automatically and instantaneously indicates a loss of exactly one hour when the vehicle enters the time zone which is generally to the east and automatically and instantaneously indicates a gain of exactly one hour when the vehicle enters the generally westward time zone.

2. The invention defined in claim l, wherein said hour indicator consists of a rotating dial having simulations of hour hands thereon, all of said hour hand simulations being visually indistinct except one which in cooperation with the minute hand tells the time; electric illuminating means to make readily visible the hour hand simulation which tells the time; a switch to se lect the hour hand simulation which tells the time; a source of electric current; and circuits connecting said source, said switch, and said illuminating means.

3. The invention defined in claim 1, wherein the hour indicator comprises at least two illuminatable means spaced one hour apart on a clock dial, a source of electricity for energizing said illuminatable means, and circuits including a selector switch for controlling the illuminatable means so that a single illuminatable means is energized at one time, said circuits also includ" ing magnetic means actuated by the signal-sensitive means to change the position of said selector switch in accordance with a change in signals received by the receiving set.

4. The invention defined in claim 3, wherein said circuits also include other magnetic means to hold said selector switch in any circuit-closing position which it may be compelled to assume, the first-mentioned magnetic means being more powerful than said other magnetic means so as to overcome the latter to change the position of said selector switch responsive to signals received.

5. The invention dened in claim 3, wherein said circuits also include plural spring latching means to latch said switch in any circuit-closing position which it may be compelled to assume, said magnetic means being sufficiently powerful to overcome the hold of the spring latching means to change the position of said selector switch responsive to signals received.

6. The invention defined in claim 5 wherein the plural spring latching means are conductors and individually form part 'of'an electrical circuit including said source of electricity and said selector switch.

7. In combination, at least two sources oi wave energy broadcasting on different frequencies, said sources of energy being of very low power and being located in different time zones but close to an artery of commerce traversing said time zones, a vehicle having a receiving set and cooperating time-indicating means, said receiving set being sensitive to the signals broadcast from the nearest one of said sources of energy, said time-indicating means including an hour disk, a minute hand, and a clock mechanism for driving the hour .disk and minute hand in timed relation, the hour dislf` having at least two hour indicia and electric illuminating means arranged to light individually each hour indicium, the receiving set having a mechanism sensitive to the signals broadcast from said sources of wave energy and including an electro-magnetically operated selector switch acting to close the circuit of one of said illuminating means responsive to received signals of a certain frequency and acting to close the circuit of another of said illuminating means responsive to received signals of another frequency emanating from another time zone, the parts being so constructed and arranged that the circuit of but one illuminating means is closed while the cir cuits of all the other illuminating means are then open, and a source of electric energy for energizing said illuminating means and said electromagnetically operated selector switch.

8. A time-indicating receiving set sensitive to signals of low power and diiTerent frequencies and capable of support in a vehicle Within sight of the occupants thereof, comprising an annular dial, time indicia on the dial, an hour disk surrounded by the annular dial and supported for rotation relative thereto, a minute hand supported for rotation over the dial, clock mechanism to drive the hour disk and minute hand in the conventional manner, a plurality of transparent areas simulating clock hands provided on the hour disk. a plurality of sources of electric light behind said transparent areas, each such source of light being directed to the corresponding transparent area and being shielded from all the other transparent areas, a source of electric energy for energizing said sources of light, circuit-controlling means for switching the sources of light on and off, and means actuated by signals of low power to operate the circuit-controlling means to switch on only one source of light for each signal frequency.

MARLOW GLENN No references cited. 

